aThe transition from old standard programs to new metro apps would be much smoother without day-to-day issues plaguing Windows Store. One of those problems occurs when users try to download or update a certain app. They’re shortly prompted with the ”Acquiring license” prompt and then the process stops.

This is a common Windows Store error and it’s often followed by the error code 0x803F7000, but that’s not the rule. Either way, this makes Windows Store almost completely unusable and out of sync with its main purpose. So, for that reason, we prepared the most viable solutions and enlisted them below.

If you’re unable to download or update apps in Windows Store, make sure to check them out.

How to resolve the ”Acquiring license…” error in Windows Store

Reset the Windows Store cache

Run Windows Store Troubleshooter

Double-check time, date, and region settings

Disable the antivirus

Run SFC

Re-register Windows Store

Reset this PC

Solution 1 – Reset the Windows Store cache

Windows Store, just like any other app in the Windows Shell, collects the related data and configuration files. Sometimes, the corruption of the named files prevents the installation of the new app or even the initialization of the Store itself. There are various ways to address this, and we enlisted the majority of those in this article.

However, before we move to a ted complicated troubleshooting steps, let’s try one simple command. WSReset.exe is native Windows Store file that resets the Windows Store settings to their default values. Therefore, it clears the cache and can come in handy with halts in Windows Store-related processes.

So, let’s put this command to the test and look for changes:

Press Windows key + R to open the Run elevated command line.

In the command line, typeWSReset.exe and pressEnter.

This will restart Windows Store and clear the stored cache

Solution 2 – Run Windows Store Troubleshooter

Another viable solution might lie in the Windows 10 revamped troubleshooting menu. Namely, as you might now, after the Creators Update, Windows 10 got the dedicated unified menu with all troubleshooting tools in one place. And there, between the plethora of various troubleshooters, is Windows Store Troubleshooter that might help you with the ”Acquiring license” issue.

If you’re not sure where to find it, follow the steps below:

Right-click Start and open Settings.

Select Update & security.

Choose Troubleshoot from the left pane.

Scroll to the bottom and highlight theWindows Store Appstroubleshooter.

Click on the”Run the troubleshooter” button.

Solution 3 – Double-check time, date, and region settings

Users too often neglect the importance of proper time and date settings. Those are correlated with Windows Store proper functioning, so make sure that both date and time are properly set. Furthermore, region settings can also affect the Windows Store and the best way to be sure that Windows Store will work on your PC is to set ”United States” as your region.

Here’s how to do it in a few simple steps:

Right-click on the Start Menu and open the Settings app.

Choose Time & languagesection.

SelectDate & timefrom the left pane.

Check ‘Set time automatically‘ and ‘Select time zone automatically‘, and make sure both options are enabled.

Now, chooseRegion & languagefrom the same pane.

ChangeCountry or region to ‘United States’.

Exit Settings and look for changes in the Store.

This should resolve the halt and you should be able to install apps from Windows Store in a seamless manner. On the other hand, if you’re still stuck with the same problem, make sure to continue with the remaining steps.

Solution 4 – Disable the antivirus

Furthermore, we can’t skip on the possibility that a third-party antivirus is blocking your Windows Store from connecting to a remote server. Sometimes the problem lies in servers themselves, but frequently the problem is caused by a pesky overeager antivirus that prevents the app from updating or downloading.

Some tech-savvy users advised an uninstall of the third-party antivirus, but we’ll settle with disabling of real-time protection. After you’ve done that, open Windows Store and look for changes. If the problem is persistent, make sure to move to the next step on the list.

Solution 5 – Run SFC

Occasionally, the system files related to Windows Store might get corrupted, too. Most of the time this is due to virus infection so we advise you to scan your system for possible issues and then run the System File Checker. This nifty tool can be run from the elevated Command Prompt and its main function is to check and repair possible corruptions within the system files.

Wait for the procedure to end and try downloading apps from Windows Store again.

Solution 6 – Re-register Windows Store

Even though Windows Store is, more or less, just like any other Windows 10 app, it can’t be uninstalled or removed in any way. Obviously, that’s the case for the majority of Windows system applications. However, what you can do if something goes wrong is re-registering of Windows Store. This procedure is analogous to reinstallation and it’s a common troubleshooting step.

In order to perform this action, you’ll need to use Windows PowerShell elevated command line. Here’s how to do it:

Right-click the Start button and open PowerShell (Admin).

In the command line, type (or copy-paste) the following command and press Enter:

This will force Windows to reinstall the default apps and restore the changes one of the latest updates has made.

After it’s done, close PowerShell and restart your PC.

That should get you out of the halt and the ”Acquiring license…” error. On the contrary, if you’re still unable to download any (or certain) app from Windows Store, make sure to check the final step.

Solution 7 – Reset this PC

Finally, if none of the previous steps proved successful, there’s still something you can do. With the introduction of Windows 10, we got ourselves a recovery option that’s similar to a clean reinstall but lets us keep our files. The option is called ”Reset this PC” and it enables you to, similar to Factory reset on smartphones, reset your Windows 10 to factory settings without losing any data in the process.

When error like this occurs and none of the basic solutions manage to address it, it’s safe to say that Reset this PC is the last resort. If you’re not sure how to perform it, follow the instructions we provided below:

Press Windows key + I to open the Settings app.

Open Update & security.

Choose Recovery from the left pane.

Under Reset this PC, click ”Get started”.

Choose whether you want to save or delete your files during the process and continue.

Wait for the procedure to end and look for changes with Windows Store.

That should do it. We hope that at least one of these steps helped you resolve the issues with Windows Store and app installation. In case you have an alternative solution or question regarding the ones we provided, feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.